With the hockey team’s season not even at the halfway mark yet, the team has had a lot to celebrate as two players have now surpassed the 100-point mark.
Senior and co-captain Hunter Johnson notched his 100th point with a goal on Jan. 11 in a 5-0 win against Lowell High School, just a month after fellow senior and co-captain, Nate Averill, achieved it in December.
“Ever since freshman year, after that season, I kind of knew it was a possibility,” Johnson said. “So to finally hit it, it feels pretty good.”
Johnson’s 100th point came on a powerplay goal, when junior Joe Medeiros passed the puck to him from behind the net.
Coach Matt Mincone said this is the first time two players crossed the 100-point threshold in the same year during his tenure as coach. He attributes Johnson’s success to his work ethic and humility.
“He doesn’t accept failure,” Mr. Mincone said. “He’ll work harder to succeed for the team first and himself second. He’s open to trying things and very receptive to criticism, both good and bad.”
Johnson credited his teammates with getting him to this milestone.
“I don’t really like getting all the praise for 100 points,” he said. “I really couldn’t have done it without my teammates, my linemates Sol Donnelly and Nate [Averill]. It’s really them that made this happen.”
With 12 seniors on the team this year, Johnson has enjoyed watching his fellow teammates grow up alongside him.
“All the seniors on this team I’ve played with since I was eight years old, and so to grow with them and see them develop with me is a cool feeling,” he said.
The team has been off to a hot start with a current record of 6-1-2. According to Johnson, the key reason is a common goal.
“We all want it,” he said. “Everyone shows up every day wanting to get better.”
On the team’s Instagram posts, every caption has ended with the same hashtag: Road to The Garden. The Garden is TD Garden in Boston, where the state championships are played in March.
Mr. Mincone has taken a team to the Garden twice, once as head coach, the other as an assistant. He is confident this year’s team can make it to the end and credits the players’ coachability to their success so far.
“A big difference between previous years is that every one of the players, they seem to be sponges to trying things,” he said. “I can visibly see the results when things are working and not.”
Game by game, shift by shift — that’s the message Johnson has been conveying in the locker room.
“We all know we’re senior heavy,” he said. “This is our year to do it, so we’re taking it one game at a time.”
